Phuket Big Buddha

Opening Hours: From 08:00 – 19:30. If you want to catch the sunset from one of Thailand's best spots, try to be there before 18:30

How to get there: The road leading up to the Big Buddha is off Chao Fa Road East near Chalong. There are many red-and-white signs indicating where it is. Turn down Soi Yodsane and simply follow the indications for the next six kilometres up the hill. You can’t miss it.

Phuket Old Town

TipsThe best time to enjoy a wander around Phuket’s historical streets is from 8:30 am onward. There are many coffee shops serving local breakfast as early as 5 am, with affords visitors the opportunity to go for a fine filling meal with the locals. Most shops close at around 6 or 6:30 pm and most are shut on Sundays.You might want to try some restaurants in the neighbourhood for lunch as well; they serve unique local dishes that you won’t usually find in your hotel.Wear your most comfortable walking shoes and don’t forget your hat and sunglasses. Don’t carry too much stuff with you, but bring a camera - it’s a must.

Wat Chalong

What to See at Wat Chalong

Poh Than Jao Wat is one of the more important Buddhist statues in Wat Chalong. It is located in the westerly old hall of the temple, with two statues of an elderly gentleman called Ta Khee-lek (grandpa Khee-lek), a famous local who won many lotteries after consulting the Poh Than Jao Wat statue. Another statue in this hall is called Nonsi.One of the temple's halls features a gilt-covered statue of Luang Poh Cham and this busy hall also contains statues of Luang Poh Chuang and Luang Poh Gleum, all ex-abbots of the temple.

How to Get to Wat Chalong

Wat Chalong is about 8 km south of Phuket City. Travel along Chao Fah Nok Rd (Chao Fa West Rd) from the Central Festival mall, and you will see the temple on the left side of the road.If you are coming from Chalong Circle, take the same road heading towards town, and you will see the temple on your right.

Jungceylon Shopping Complex

Standing downtown, diagonally opposite Bangla Road, the Jungceylon Shopping Complex has radically changed the face of shopping in Patong. The two main stores in the complex are Robinson - a gleaming well-lit upper end department store, and Big C supermarket.The 200-plus other stores in this shopping heaven sell brand-name clothes, spectacles, sunglasses, cosmetics and perfumes, shoes, DVDs, computer games, tons of mobile phones and accessories, electrical goods but it is also a great entertainment haven with a five-room SF Cinema and a 16-lane bowling alley, perfect for rainy days or to escape the heat of the day.

Location: Rat-u-thit 200 Pee Road, Patong, Kratu, Phuket

Phuket Walking Street

Phuket Walking Street is the latest attraction featured in Phuket Old Town. Also-known-as Lardyai (talaad yai), which means ‘big market’ in southern Thai dialect, this weekly market started in October 2013 and is hosted on the beautifully renovated Thalang Road, right in the middle of the historical Sino-Portuguese district of Phuket Town.

Thalang is a 350m-long commercial and cosmopolitan street which hosts a mix of Baba (Chinese migrants settled in Phuket at the beginning of the 20th century during the tin mining era), Thai Muslim and Indian shops. Phuket Walking Street allows visitors to discover some typical southern Thai culinary specialties as well as local handicraft and gift stalls.

This weekly event (every Sunday from 16:00 – 22:00) is definitely family-oriented with the presence of toy stalls and a (free-of-charge) trampoline to entertain the little ones.

Bangla Road

Bangla Road only really comes to life when the sun sets. The road is closed to vehicle traffic and becomes 400 metres of neon lights, loud music, cheap beer and sexy girls. Jammed most nights of the year, it is actually totally unthreatening and is a lively place to walk around as bars compete for customers.

Almost all of the bars are outdoors, so the music from each one blends into a deafening mess of sound! Beer bars occupy most of the street's length, with several go-go bars and a few pubs, restaurants, discos and shops rounding out the attractions, both on Soi Bangla and down its side streets. Street performances are also common most nights, which can make dodging around the tailor shop salesmen, leaflet distributors, street vendors and ping pong show touts more difficult.